Firefighters have responded to a large blaze in Beckenham, with thick plumes of smoke visible from miles away.
Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters were called to a fire in a property next to the Odeon cinema on Beckenham High Street on Tuesday morning.
The fire affected the roof of a kebab shop, currently under refurbishment, as well as the first and second floors of the mixed-use building. The building has sustained a significant amount of damage as a result of the fire.
The fire has now been largely extinguished, but crews remain on the scene to dampen down the remains. There have been no reports of any injuries at this time, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Rayhan Rahman, 18, saw the fire as he was walking to his local sixth form. He said: “The fire was big and strong. It caused disruption as people were coming into sixth form late. The smoke was dark and thick, and we could smell it from afar. It was very surprising.”
Station commander Tony Perks, who was at the scene, said: "Firefighters have worked extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading significantly to adjoining buildings, including a cinema, resulting in very limited damage to those buildings.
"The fire was producing a significant amount of smoke and we advised people in the area to keep their windows and doors closed. This advice has now been lifted.
"The incident continues to cause major traffic disruption in Beckenham and we are asking people to avoid travelling through the area whilst the incident remains ongoing as road closures are in place."
Councillor Chloe-Jane Ross, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at Bromley Council, said: “Seeing a fire so close to the Beckenham Odeon is heartbreaking for the whole community. We are thankful to the firefighters for their swift response and sincerely hope no one has been injured.”
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said: “As of 9.20am, half of the roof of a mixed-use building, currently under refurbishment, remains alight. The second and first floors of the building are also partially alight.
“Firefighters are working hard to prevent the spread of the fire to adjoining buildings, including a cinema. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. The fire is producing a significant amount of smoke and we are advising people in the area to keep their windows and doors closed at this time.
“The incident is causing major traffic disruption in Beckenham and we are asking people to avoid travelling through the area whilst the incident remains ongoing, as road closures are in place.”
LFB received the first of 18 calls at 7.59am and crews were sent from Beckenham, Bromley, Woodside, Forest Hill and surrounding fire stations to the scene. Firefighters also brought a 32-metre turntable ladder from Forest Hill.
The London Ambulance Service was called at 8.06am. A spokesperson said: “We sent an ambulance crew, paramedics in fast response cars, an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene.
“We are still at the scene alongside colleagues from LFB. So far there have been no patients for us to treat.”
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